Academic Support Officers

The London Academy for Applied Technology (LAAT) is a dynamic and rapidly growing higher education institution delivering undergraduate programmes in Business, in partnership with Plymouth Marjon University. LAAT is committed to widening participation and delivering an outstanding student experience underpinned by high-quality teaching and robust governance.

Job Purpose

The Academic Support Officer role provides essential administrative and operational support to ensure the smooth delivery of academic-related processes, particularly those linked to assessments and student academic engagement. This role is fundamentally supportive and co-ordination-focused with tasks and responsibilities undertaken through delegated responsibility from the Programme Lead via the Assessment Lead and Module Leaders.

Operating across assessment coordination, academic administration, and frontline student support, the postholder plays a key role in supporting students throughout their academic journey. The position is designed to underpin core academic operations and does not hold decision-making responsibilities but is integral to ensuring processes are executed accurately, consistently, and in alignment with institutional and partner university requirements.

This role supports the student experience by providing a responsive, informed, and organised point of contact for academic queries, particularly relating to assessment, attendance, and engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

Assessment Coordination and Turnitin Management

• Coordinate the setup and scheduling of all assessments on Turnitin, as instructed by Module Leads and the Assessments Lead.
• Ensure coursework briefs and submission links are correctly uploaded, tested, and live by the agreed deadlines.
• Track student submissions on Turnitin and generate weekly reports on submission status, flagged issues, and late submissions.
• Maintain list of students who have resubmissions.

Submission Monitoring and Student Engagement

• Proactively monitor and follow up on non-submissions, late submissions, or technical issues, and engage with students to offer timely support.
• Liaise with students who have delayed or missed submissions to understand reasons, provide procedural guidance, and escalate where appropriate.
• Maintain a record of late submissions, extensions granted, and communication logs, ensuring this data is available for assessment reviews.
• Liaising with referral partners and sharing list of non-submitters to chase for submission within late submission deadline.

Academic Support Liaison

• Act as a link between students and academic mentors or teaching staff, helping students clarify assessment requirements where needed.
• Connect students who are struggling with their assignments to the relevant academic mentors or module tutor for one-to-one or group support.

Administrative and Compliance Support

• Ensure all assessment activities follow partner university guidelines and institutional policies.
• Support documentation of submission logs, feedback tracking, and assessment board preparation.
• Assist with collation of performance data and student engagement metrics for quality monitoring.

Student-Facing Academic Support

• Serve as a point of contact for assessment-related student queries, offering clear information on submission procedures and deadlines.
• Guide students on how to use Turnitin and understand key submission protocols, including file format requirements, word count, and similarity checks.
• Escalate academic concerns or disengagement patterns to the relevant academic or pastoral team in line with institutional processes.

Collaboration and Communication

• Liaise with Module Leads and the Assessment Lead to ensure clarity and consistency in assessment communication.
• Coordinate with the Registry, Student Support, and IT Services to address any technical or procedural barriers students may face during assessment.

• Refer students to internal or external support services as appropriate, ensuring timely follow-up.
• Proactively monitor student engagement, escalating concerns in line with safeguarding and retention protocols.

Data, Records, and Reporting

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date student records using institutional systems Student Information Systems.
• Identify at-risk students using engagement or performance data and produce reports for relevant stakeholders.
• Support the institution’s quality assurance processes by helping to capture student feedback and improve service delivery.
• Keep records of EC forms and the corresponding evidence and AM forms pertaining to the students
• Liaise with Exams and Assessments Lead/Program Lead for conduct of standardisation meetings and keep appropriate records pertaining to them.
• Safekeeping of all documents pertaining to assessment briefs for submissions, resubmissions, standardisation, internal moderation, EC and AM for internal records and external body requirements.

Requirements

Key Skills & Experience Required

Essential:

• Experience in an assessment based, student support, academic services, or advisory role in a further or higher education setting.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and empathy skills when working with diverse student populations.
• Organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Strong IT skills including use of MS Office, and confidence in learning new student record systems.
• A student-first mindset with a calm, solution-focused approach under pressure.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with UK higher education systems, policies, and regulatory standards.
• Experience supporting academic assessment processes or student casework.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, disability support, or mental health services in an educational context.
• Experience working with international students or underrepresented groups.

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